E eats everything and more! I’m not talking about him eating paper or chewing on play-doh… thankfully he has never been one for eating inedible things! But his incessant desire for food is sometimes a bit worrying.
Tonight at dinner time, for example, he polished off his portion of enchilada, some broccoli and a plum and then leant across the table, stole my plum and gave it a bite! Once he was down from the table, while I was cleaning up, I heard him say “please can I like your food R?” and took a bit of uneaten carrot from R’s high chair tray. After a few minutes, he then went back to R and tried to take something half chewed out of his pelican bib to munch on!
At lunchtime he’d tried to pinch Rhuaraidh’s burnt toast crusts and yesterday I suddenly became his new best friend as I tried to eat my cereal bar with him clambering onto my lap, while dodging his attempts to snatch it on its way to my mouth.
His new phrase is “I need it” which he uses to demand anything edible. If I’m chewing something he instantly spots it and chirps up “what you eating Mummy?” or “my like a wee taste” and doesn’t believe me when I insist I’m only eating my tongue! That’s the line my Mum and Dad used to use!
Another problem that we have is that our food cupboard door has a squeak- never a good thing when I’m trying to sneak a biscuit! Should really get the WD40 on that one. He can hear a packet rustling from a mile off so I’m very rarely able to sneak a nibble without him knowing!
Now I know most of this is probably standard toddler behaviour but, those of you who know E, know that he isn’t exactly wasting away. Having always been a chunk, it’s something we’re very conscious of! He was 10lb 6oz (4.7kg) at birth and his weight has always been way above the top line on the growth chart! Infact, he’s only now starting to come down onto the top centiles. His weight shot up in the first few months of life while being exclusively breastfed and I don’t think the Health Visitor had ever seen anything like it!
I’d say we have a pretty healthy diet and always avoid giving him too many treats. Infact, he now calls chocolate “adult chocolate” because he isn’t given it. I’m hopeful that he is just be a ‘big boy’ and that we aren’t overfeeding him. In comparison to some of his peers, he does seem tall. I suppose we are a tall family and have seen growth charts like his before… my brother was 10lb 8oz, grew like E and is now 6ft 5 so maybe he’ll be a tall man too!
E does love eating and only very rarely doesn’t finish what is served up for him. He loves olives, broccoli and humous and I can hardly think of anything he doesn’t like… he did try Rhuaraidh’s marmite recently and wasn’t a fan! He’s also not starving all the time like he would make out- he snacks regularly but not too often and has plenty on his plate for a boy his size! May need to put a combination padlock on the food cupboard before too long…
Having said that, Rhuaraidh went shopping today and all I can think about is the cupboard full of snacks… so maybe it’s me he gets it from!
Parenting insecurities strike again! Snack time then bedtime for me!
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